Improvement in fences



W. D. HILLIS.

. Fence. No. 79,121. Patented June 23, 1868.

zzznw PATENT OFFICE.

\V. D. HILLIS, OF ELGIN, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN FENCES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 79,121, dated June 23, 1868.

To all whom it may concern:

, Be it known that I, WV. D. HILLIs, of Elgin, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented a hew-and Improved Fence; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being bad to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a horizontal cross-section of the fence-post; Fig. 3, a vertical section of a part of one of the pickets, taken in a direction perpendicular to the line of the fence and Fig. 4, a similar vertical section taken in a direction coincident with that of the fence.

In this invention upright Wooden pickets are supported by horizontal wire rails, to which they are attached in a novel manner, the rails being themselves fixed to the posts by a different method than any heretofore practiced, whereby great lightness and strength are combined and the fence isrendered convenient to handle and cheap in construction.

In the drawings, A A are upright wooden posts, driven or securely placed in the ground, and supported by inclined braces O C. To the front side of each post is secured, by a single screw, a, two small metallic plates, D D, one near the top and the other near the bottom, for the purpose of receiving and supporting the ends of the rails.

E E are the rails, composed of stout wire, and supporting upright pickets F F.

My invention consists, chiefly, in the manner in which the rails E E are attached to the plates D D and in the manner in which the pickets are attached to the rails, and which I will now more particularly describe. In the first place, the wire rails are at regular intervals equal to the distance between the pickets flattened down on both sides, as shown at E and their ends are similarly flattened, as shown at E and provided with a head, e,'at the extremity of such flattened portion. Then the pickets are each provided with two slots, t i, a little longer than the width of the flattened portion E of the Wire, and having an enlargement, 0, above or below the center of sufficient size to admit the body of the rail.

The rail is introduced into the enlarged space 0, and passed through the picket till the latter arrives at the point where it is to be fastened, which will be at one of the flattened places E E when the rail is slid up or down to the end of the slot 6 and fastened there by driving a wooden pin, a, into the enlarged space 0; The flattened part E now rests between the parallel walls of the narrow slot t or i, and its shoulders abut against the edges of the slots on each side of the picket, so that the wire cannot be withdrawn from the picket by any longitudinal strain upon it, but only by removing the wooden pin and slipping the wire up or down until its axis comes in line with the axis of the enlarged space 0. This secures the pickets firmly to the wire rails. The latter are attached to the plates D D in the following manner: The plates are slotted from the under edge about two-thirds of their width, and the center of the slots is enlarged, as shown at m, Figs. 1 and 2. The flattened ends of the wires are introduced into these slots by bringing the heads 0 6 along their under edge to the enlargements m m and then sliding the ends of the wires vertically upward to the middle of the slots. At this point the walls of the slot are recessed, and the longitudinal strain upon the wires causes the heads 6 e to drop into recesses, where they will be supported. The screw it is now introduced, passing between the heads 6 e and entering the post, confining the plates D D to the post and supporting the fence in position. When the screw a is thus in position it fills nearly all the space between the recesses in which the heads 6 e have dropped and prevents the latter from escaping from the recesses. The whole combination of pickets, wire rails, and plates D D is then firmly locked together, and none of them can be moved from their position exceptby withdrawing the wooden pins 0 c or the screws to a. No strain or vibration can come upon the fence which will cause these pins and screws to drop out or work loose. Hence the fence is exceedingly strong and durable.

It is evident that a neat, light fence, which may be easily removed or repaired, can be constructed in this manner at little expense of 7 time or money.

Having thus described my invention, what and with the enlarged space m m, and used in I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters combination with the screw to and the wire Patent, is-

rails E E, substantially as and. for the purfi 1. The combination of wire rails E E, conpose specified.

structed as above described, with the slotted pickets F F and the pins 0 0, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The metallic plates D D, when constructed with the slots and recesses above described,

W. D. HILLIS.

Witnesses:

JAMES G. BARR, E. SIMs. 

